LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — After a host of town halls and years of planning, the Cardinal Valley neighborhood in Lexington will have a brand-new, state-of-the-art community hub.
The grand opening of the Marksbury Family Branch of the Lexington Public Library is on Saturday.
The Marksbury Family Foundation, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the City of Lexington with American Rescue Plan Act funding, and hundreds of other local philanthropists raised $8.3 million through the Lexington Public Library Foundation to support this $17 million project.
The new, 30,000-square-foot two-story library is built on the same footprint as the original Village Branch, which opened in 2004. Alongside a network of trusted partners within the Latinx, immigrant, and refugee communities, Village Branch staff created programs they feel address the neighborhood's unique needs. Those programs include homework help, Spanish-language GED preparation classes, English as a second language classes, food service, and assistance with social services.
"We've got space, we've got more staff, we've got a larger collection, we've got updated and more programming, we've got all of those things so that the community can really come together and use this space in a way that they have always wanted to," said branch manager Jenny Smith.
It includes community and study rooms, a dedicated classroom, a makerspace, and more.
"Know that when you're walking in the door we're going to take care of you and that we have, we can find whatever you need," said Mercedes Maclean.
Grand opening events this Saturday include:
▪ 12:00-12:30 p.m.: Jose Rivera, Mariachi (Outdoor Amphitheater)
▪ 12:30 p.m.: Opening remarks, explore the new branch
▪ 1:30 p.m.: Lexington Children's Theater (Tempur Sealy Children's Discovery Zone)
▪ 2:00 p.m.: Cardinal Valley Choir (Community Room)
▪ 2:45 p.m.: Casa de la Cultura Kentucky (Community Room)
▪ 3:00 p.m.: Lexington Children's Theater (Tempur Sealy Children's Discovery Zone)
▪ 3:30 p.m.: Irene Aguilar, Musician (Community Room)
▪ 4:15 p.m.: Lafayette FIERO Strings (Community Room)
The library is located at 2197 Versailles Road. For more information, click here.
